Maritime officials investigating the sinking of an anti-whaling speedboat that was sliced apart by a Japanese ship have said it is impossible for them to decide who was at fault.

The Sea Shepherd group’s Ady Gill was hit by whaling ship the Shonan Maru No. 2 in January (see Sea Shepherd Ship Sunk?). Both parties blame the other for the incident.

Sea Shepherd has long been a controversial group, with some anti-whaling campaigners viewing their high profile, high seas cat and mouse games with the Japanese whaling fleets as dangerous and counter-productive. Previous accusations of piracy and ignoring the laws of the sea have been levelled against ships from both groups.

However, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority report into the Ady Gill incident says the Japanese whaling ship’s unwillingness to supply its side of the story makes it “unable to determine whether either vessel took any action intended to cause a collision” in this case.

The crew of the Ady Gill (or “tri hull wave piercer” as the AMSA describes it) say the Shonan Maru No. 2 changed course at the last moment and tore off their boat’s bow. The Japanese government told the AMSA it could not provide any information about the incident as this might prejudice its own inquiry, which is being conducted by the Japan Coast Guard. Australia’s police are also investigating the incident, at the request of the Japanese government.

The former captain of the Ady Gill, Peter Bethune, is now facing trial in Japan after boarding the Shonan Maru No. 2 and attempting to arrest its captain. In addition, Sea Shepherd’s founder Paul Watson is now the subject of an international arrest warrant obtained by the Japan Coast Guard.

Image: the Ady Gill / Institute for Cetacean Research